The Android Market has several problems that we have begged Google to fix. However, there’s one problem with the market that Google can do very little to curb: user comments.

The Android Market, like any other forum that brings together a group of people and gives them free reign to express themselves, is filled with negativity. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but the negativity is often expressed inappropriately and in the wrong direction.

Comments can play an important part in shaping user impressions, so I’ve decided to offer a few suggestions that everyone should follow when using the Android Market. Consider these a few basic guidelines to consider whenever you rate, comment, or read the Android Market.

1. Rate only the app

It never ceases to amaze me that so many comments and ratings have absolutely nothing to do with the actual app. The official Miami Dolphins app has plenty of people saying, “Jets rule! Dolphins suck!” I don’t even want to go into some of the venom expressed on religious apps.
Whenever rating or commenting on an application, at least have the decency to focus on the merits of the app, not the politics or personal feelings of its subject matter.

2. Stop hijacking stars

Enough with the “One star until you add___” comments and ratings. It’s perfectly understandable to notice problems or shortcomings and comment on them, but you don’t hijack a rating until it adds a feature you want. Judge an app on the way it performs now and don’t unfairly trash it because the developer can’t read minds to anticipate what people want.

3. Don’t seek tech support

There’s a nasty habit of Android users to give widgets 1-star and say, “It won’t even launch!” Well, that’s because widgets don’t launch; you add them on the home screen. The Market should be reserved for impressions of the app after you have opened them. Trouble with an app? Send the developer a message. Trouble with an app? Go to a help forum. Don’t rate an app 1-star because you can’t figure out how to open it.

4. Don’t download just to trash talk

This is the most perplexing thing about Android users that I will never understand. What kind of weirdo goes through the trouble of downloading an app just to trash talk and complain? When Logitech released its remote app and clearly stated, “Only works if you were invited,” practically every comment I read said, “You should have just sent an .APK” or “1-star until you open up to everyone.” Come on, people. Your time is more valuable than that nonsense.

5. Don’t be a jerk

Developers and users alike need to stop being obnoxious jerks. It’s disappointing to open the Market and see flame wars between users giving feedback and developers taking comments personally and responding in mean-spirited ways. I know it’s a lot to ask, but behave like you have some sense. Save the insults and foolish banter for the appropriate places: sporting events, highways, and sample sales at your favorite boutique.

35 Comments

That would take a lot of resources and it wouldn't solve the problem, it just moves the problem elsewhere. I would like to see developers be able to moderate and reply to comments for their apps/games. That feature itself would eliminate half the problems. Tie that in with some way to report users and ,after a certain amount of reports on a user, they get temporarily or permanently banned from being to make comments. My recent post Success Story- Androids Biggest Beta Test

Moderate wouldn't work. Dev's would just remove bad reviews. But responding to comments is a most have. Several times I have emailed someone asking if they were "the sarah" that left a comment in the market and tried to help them out. Sometimes it works, sometimes its the wrong sarah… My recent post Android Guys Podcast

A couple to add to the list: #6: Don't post ads for online repositories of pirated apps. #7: Don't use comments to try to beg/trick people into using your referral code (e.g. for dropbox, pocket empires, etc.)

I really think that rating apps is comparing apps. The market rating system even dictates that you compare one app to another: Poor, below average, average, above average, and excellent. Not to mention there are so many similar apps that calling one out for being a terrible knockoff or missing features is sometimes justified. But people are a bit to quick to give an app 1 star. #9 Caps lock is still rude on the App market. #10 Mark spam as spam so it can be wiped away #11 Read the rules http://market.android.com/support/bin/answer.py?h… Although I blame google for making them inaccessible #12 Don't rate an app poorly cause your phone is a piece of crap. Sorry people who bought a lower powered android but you shouldn't be surprised if a game lags. Blame yourself for being a bad consumer.

I agree with these 5 rules. It's irritating when people do any of those listed above. I also think rule #6 should be, don't spam the comments with your 'download all apps free' links. My recent post Frustrated with WRT350N Connection Problems

I have the utmost respect for the views expressed in this article. With that said, hear me out and try to follow my point. The people who do all of the things outlined in this article are just simply those kind of people and are not the kind of people who change because they read an article like this. Additionally, most of the people who read these kinds of articles are already respectful, Android market commenters. Ergo, nothing is going to change until the stupid market commenters either switch to an iphone or get hit by a bus. Some of my favorite market comments, especially when Android and rooting was in its infancy, were people commenting on apps that required a rooted device. That was when people's real personalities shined.

Well said, and I have to agree. Many of the negative practices come from ignorance (e.g., not knowing how to install a widget or operate the app) or plain old rudeness and immaturity, and those folks are like death and taxes. It's expecting a lot to ask someone who has put hours into developing an app to then start adding this feature and not even thank them for the free app.

Thanks for posting these guidelines. It bothers me so much to see a good app rated poorly because someone doesn't read what it's supposed to do and rates it based on expectations that it can do more than what is clearly stated in the description. It's even worse when it's a new app and one person's rating can make it look bad because it affects the average so drastically. Also, the Market gives very little space for developers to describe the app, which adds to the problems. My recent post 500-Follower Celebration Giveaway 1

You're more or less approaching this issue from a different POV than me. I'm just a normal user and, like others, I'm looking for a place to share my experience with particular apps with the developer and other users. That's what a forum is for, so there's only 3 solutions to this problem: 1) change people's habits (won't work) 2) Require each developer to also provide a forum dedicated to his apps OR 3) let Google provide these forums. Of course that'd require some ressources, but I'm not quite sure that Google's short of computing power and / or storage.

I know some may find talking about a similar app in the comments is not kosher, but if someone has found an app that does the same thing better it helps make a better decision if the app isn't up to snuff. I've found that useful several times.

Number 2 is hit or miss – could be bypassed within reason, me thinks. For example, what if someone makes a stop watch app, but doesn't have the lap feature. The comments should be littered with folks imploring the developer to add said feature in an upgrade.

This is an excellent rundown of what a bad comment is. I'll share what a good and useful comment might look like – from a developer viewpoint. 1. Comments that are mini-reviews are great. 2. Tell everybody what you like/don't like about the app (killer features, missing features). 3. Share how/what for you use the app. 4. Use the app every day? Once in a blue moon? That's something many will want to know. 5. Have you been using the app for one day? Since day one? The longer you use an app, the more credible your comment is. My recent post AC for Android 65 Hits the Market- Sync Reminders Get Dismissed Automagically

I agree with everything but the "hijacking stars" thing. If I use the app and feel that some major or obvious functionality is missing, should that not affect my rating even if it performs OK otherwise? And should we not tell the developer that it is affecting the rating? I think that encourages faster iteration, especially if other apps with such functionality have higher star ratings. For instance, say the developer of a GPS app decides to only use the GPS chip for location and not to use any data from the network location sensors, which could give a faster lock. His app might perform well, but for those who want locks in <30 seconds it doesn't meet their expectations of a quality app. Now if another app uses both the GPS chip and network location sensors, shouldn't that consumer rate it higher? Rating both four or five stars wouldn't be an accurate real-world reflection for THAT consumer. Other consumers might not care and would rate it accordingly. In other words, if apps were only rated based on the specs of developers or whether it does what a developer says it will, and not consumer expectations, nearly all would be five stars (excluding apps that crash, of course).

That's fair @diar, but you are rating an app poorly based on the way it performs right now. An app that randomly pops up on screen deserves to get a 2 star rating. I'm speaking only about people who like an app but rate it poorly because of a feature they'd like to see, not because of a feature that performs poorly or insufficiently. for instance, i've seen people comment on Astrid and I say, "Great app! Love it! But 1 star until you sync with Google Tasks." That's ridiculous to me. You like the app but rate it poorly because it sync with two popular services like Producteev and RTM, but not Gtasks, a service that lacks a stable and accessible API? I have no problem with rating an app poorly (I do it without regret) but it's nonsensical to rate poorly because you want to force the developer to add something.

I have to disagree on withholding stars — and telling people why. Also on saying something doesn't work. I use both responses to figure out whether I want to download something. I wrote a lot more, but when I clicked to connect to Twitter, it wiped out everything but my first sentence. Ouch. My recent post brief tweets weekly 2010-06-18

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some times good reviews are external, made by people who actually wants to add something, to help. Any way yours is a good review, most of it should be resolved with manners. My recent post App para Compartir el Internet de tu Android

insults should not be allowed in android market comments. as a developper, i wish google would ban from comments users who insult apps or developpers. often they are just dumb and don't figure out how to make things work.

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I am appauled at the fact that these rules should be made and at the comments made thereafter. The Stars should be there to thank the developers for taking time to think and produce some fine apps. Comments should be to help the developer help you. I have bought several apps and have made suggestions because I know that they will help me and others like me. And, I am happy to say that developers have listened aned introduced my suggestions. But, of course, there will always be the jerks. Just as there are always the bad hackers, yes, there will always be the jerks.